GUEST BIO

Duck Dynasty Family is Blessed, Blessed... Blessed

The 700 Club

Jase and Missy met while she was a sophomore in high school. Jase had already graduated. “Our backgrounds had almost nothing in common,” says Missy. “Except that we were both committed Christians and had both been raised in West Monroe, Louisiana.” When they started dating seriously, Jase said to Missy, “I hunt every day of duck season. I will not give that up. Are you prepared for that?” Duck season can last up to three months and some states have breaks, so ducks can be hunted in other states. “When Jase said he hunted every day of duck season, that meant he could be away from home for a couple of weeks at a time.” Missy agreed with him so long as whatever children they had would attend the Christian school she attended, then they would have a deal.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

They dated for three years and remained sexually pure until their marriage in 1991. After five years, Jase and Missy started having children. They had Reed in 1995 and Cole in 1997. After a miscarriage in 2002, Missy and Jase got pregnant with Mia. Missy and Jase scheduled a four-dimensional ultrasound at 31 weeks. It was a fun opportunity to give the family a glimpse of their new sibling and the room was buzzing with anticipation. As Mia’s image became clear on the screen, the family grew quiet. It was clear there was a problem. The doctor confirmed that Mia had a cleft lip. Cleft lip and palate result when the facial structures that are developing in an unborn baby don’t close completely. “The more I read, the more I realized that a cleft lip is a medical situation that must be addressed, but a cleft palate is a far more serious condition,” says Missy. When she was born, they realized Mia’s condition involved both her lip and her palate. When the doctor held Mia up for Missy to see, Mia opened her mouth wide. “I could see the crate where the roof of her mouth should have been,” says Mia. “I knew in that instant that our entire family had begun a long journey that would be quite difficult and painful at times,” says Missy.

One of the biggest emotional adjustments Missy had to make was embracing the truth about Mia’s condition. “Once Jase and I listened to multiple doctors discuss numerous surgeries and talk about her still being in treatment five, ten or twelve years from that day, the seriousness and the long-term ramifications of her situation really began to hit me,” says Missy. In March 2015, Mia had major surgery to implant a distractor device designed to move the jaw by manually turning it on a daily basis. “This was the hardest procedure and recovery period she has ever had,” says Missy. “But again, she has demonstrated a massive amount of strength and courage.”

Once Duck Dynasty started, Missy and Jase knew they would have a media platform to raise awareness of cleft lip and palate. “We have seen the impact our faith has had on several local families and we realized that we were able to help them through difficult circumstances,” says Missy. Numerous people have shared that Mia has made a difference in their lives, inspiring them, giving them hope, confidence and courage because of what they see in her. The Robertsons started a charity called the Mia Moo Fund at www.miamoo.org dedicated to helping families with children with cleft lip and palate. The fund provides financial assistance for bills not fully covered by insurance and helps with travel needs. In March 2014, Mia received a letter from Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona who was born with a cleft lip and palate. He invited her to DC to receive a Congressional award for service to her community.

Looking back, Missy and Jase know that God has been with them every step of the way. “I can say with absolute conviction and with gratitude that my life is blessed in every way,” says Missy. Mia encourages other kids going through this not to be scared. She recently started making baskets for kids going into surgery.